Hey Loviatar, got a question, I just got my glove earlier this week I really like it but it's made out of the stiffest leather ever, are there faster ways to break in the leather than to just wearing it and bending it? Is it possible to soften the leather?

Just posting progress on my mask. Got a GCFX version 1 mask that I'm following Banetico's model to try and make more accurate. I padded the inside where i needed it to (It looks messy, but no ones gonna look in there anyways!), molded a piece a plastic on the mouth piece so it holds its shape, and started using some epoxy putty to mold parts of the front! Open to any criticisms!

I didn't molded the actual nose of the mask (where the 4 teeth connectors are molded) because I think that part is fine. I only molded the silver connectors at the side of the nose since the originals are way too low.

The plastic tabs iside look good. Thy're bigger than the ones I did for my mask so hopefully that'lll help you maintain the maw's shape even better.

the foam sheets appear a tad too flimsy so my advice would be to glue several of them (3 may do it) and cut them in the shape of the internal spaces of the mask.

you want the padding to be as flat as possible all around so It won't hurt your skin.

luckyslev, assuming it is in fact real leather, yes there sure are ways to speed up the softening... (i apologize in advance for the following novel)

you can wear it and try to loosen up the fibers of the leather that way, but that does take quite a while

you can condition or oil it with something like mink oil or neatsfoot oil. these can be found in better shoe stores usually.. neatsfoot oil can also be found in sporting goods stores (it is used to soften and condition baseball gloves)

you can beat the crap out of it. crumple it up, put it inside a sock and beat it against the floor for a while. this is a bit extreme but if it is really stiff this might be your best bet.

oiling it will help a lot, if you oil it and then try to loosen up the fibers by stretching it out, and rubbing is back and forth across a hard corner. think of when you are trying to unfold a dollar bill for a vending machine, you use the corner of the machine to soften up the dollar- same method. i like to oil the leather and then use the top of a wooden or folding chair to rub it against. only rub the back against the hard corner, since you do not want to scuff up the front.
if you decide to oil it, try for a 100% pure neatsfoot oil, or a mink oil blend that has silicone and lanolin. avoid blends that have petroleum products as the petroleum can eat away at certain materials, like cotton.
these methods will work on real leather- chrome tanned, veg-tanned, and oil tanned leather. it might not be a good idea on bonded leather, which is what a lot of furniture is made of. bonded leather is technically leather in the same way that plywood is technically genuine wood. it's essentially leatherdust glued together with a coating on top and sometimes fabric or cardboard inside... you know those cheap belts you get that rip after a month or so? bonded leather. no bueno!
if it is vinyl... be careful with oiling it, as you do not really know how it will react. it's essentially plastic so depending on how it was made the oil could be very bad for it, or just sit on the surface and do nothing.
do not use oil from your kitchen. do not use mineral oil. do not! you need to use an oil that is produced for this purpose or you will have horrible results. plus you will stink. you can get good leather oils from tandy leather factory (there's a bunch across america, and you can buy online) if you are nervous about buying it elsewhere. if you do buy from tandy, i highly recommend fiebing's brand mink oil. it smells nice(sort of like nutmeg), where neatsfoot oil can sometimes smell like raw chicken.
apply the oil generously with wool or an old t-shirt and let it soak in overnight. then you can start trying to soften it. if it is too oily after you've made it less stiff, stuff it with newspaper or paper towels and change them out daily to absorb the excess oil. keep it in a warm, dry place during this process and it will help out a lot.
(i realize that this is a lot of info and i mostly typed up all of it up to educate everyone and answer as many questions as possible)

Hi everyone, I've followed this thread from the beginning, all the while doing my own costume build, and have yet to register (until today). And I just wanted to say all of the info I have gathered from every member that has posted has been greatly appreciated. I kinda went my own direction as far as what i used/how i went about making everything, but without seeing all the other processes and interpretations, It would've been quite difficult to build from pics alone. any way, I am building every part of my costume basically from scratch, and one a budget. The mask is mostly card board (coated in plasti-dip), JB weld (stick), and hot glue, with other knick-knacks i found along the way (wire loom, different fabrics, rubber tubing, ball point pen caps, random findings, etc.)I wasn't sure what to expect when i started this project, but seeing other completed ones has kept me motivated. I'm not finished yet, but i figured I'd join the fun and share my progress! my mask is almost complete just a few small details I have to add, I've spent about 30 bucks in all (on the mask only) let me know what you guys think!

Sorry for the poor quality, i used my cell phone, I'll post some more detailed pics when i am completely finished.

dude that is soo good. you inspire me to finish mine which is also being made out of household stuff

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thebanewagon

Finished up the ole paint scheme a little while ago tell me what ya'll think I ended up with a run of the mill bluish color but I like the way it turned out

looking great

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZspidey

First week of October. I have too much going on this week and next to produce another mask. I will be at Las Vegas Comic Expo where Ryan will be wearing his next weekend though.
-Todd

I have just finally registered after following this thread for some months now.

I would really appreciate some feedback on the parts for my costume from people who has experience with the different ones.

I've come to the conclusion that banepants.com's pants and coat are the way to go, I'm just unsure of what size to choose. I'm 6'6"/225 pounds. 43.5 inch chest. waist - 34 inch. Hip - 40 inch. I'm Althetic build. I'm in no way skinny, neither am I build like a power lifter. When measuring myself I seem to land in different size boxes in the size chart. Does any of you have any suggestions on what would give me the correct fit? I really don't want to end up with either one being slim-fitted, but as close to the movie look as I can get.

I wrote the guy who runs the site, and he suggested large pants and medium coat because they are supposed to be large in size. But thought I'd come here and ask anyways since I've never owned a medium sized piece of clothing in my adult life.

I have just finally registered after following this thread for some months now.

I would really appreciate some feedback on the parts for my costume from people who has experience with the different ones.

I've come to the conclusion that banepants.com's pants and coat are the way to go, I'm just unsure of what size to choose. I'm 6'6"/225 pounds. 43.5 inch chest. waist - 34 inch. Hip - 40 inch. I'm Althetic build. I'm in no way skinny, neither am I build like a power lifter. When measuring myself I seem to land in different size boxes in the size chart. Does any of you have any suggestions on what would give me the correct fit? I really don't want to end up with either one being slim-fitted, but as close to the movie look as I can get.

I wrote the guy who runs the site, and he suggested large pants and medium coat because they are supposed to be large in size. But thought I'd come here and ask anyways since I've never owned a medium sized piece of clothing in my adult life.

Hope some of you can help a fellow bane fan

Thanks

Hey man, I'm nearly the same waist and hip size as you and the large pants work for me just fine. Bane wears them fairly high up from the photo's that i have seen. So i think your safe to get the large and they are truly worth it. Great pants and the closest you'll find to screen accurate pants at this point.

Checked in on my Wrist guard today at the local leather shop. I think it's going to turn out fantastic. I'll know by next week and have some photo's for you guys. Now all i need is a vest which is going to take some saving as SIQ wants $750.00 plus extra for weathering. But it's pretty essential to the costume. But i may handle that myself. I've become pretty good at weathering over the years. Plus you guys have given me some great tips on how to accomplish this as well. Does anyone still have a Roid's mask? I want to darken it a bit but i'm really new at painting latex and could use some tips.

Hey man, I'm nearly the same waist and hip size as you and the large pants work for me just fine. Bane wears them fairly high up from the photo's that i have seen. So i think your safe to get the large and they are truly worth it. Great pants and the closest you'll find to screen accurate pants at this point.

Checked in on my Wrist guard today at the local leather shop. I think it's going to turn out fantastic. I'll know by next week and have some photo's for you guys. Now all i need is a vest which is going to take some saving as SIQ wants $750.00 plus extra for weathering. But it's pretty essential to the costume. But i may handle that myself. I've become pretty good at weathering over the years. Plus you guys have given me some great tips on how to accomplish this as well. Does anyone still have a Roid's mask? I want to darken it a bit but i'm really new at painting latex and could use some tips.

Thanks a bunch man How about the coat then? What would you say would be the best fit for me?

Finally pulled my first mask today! It's Vytaflex 40 urethane rubber, and I tried to color it like the display mask. It has a few air bubbles, and there's a part or two I need to fix on the mold, but overall I'm pretty happy with it. I'll have to figure out how to reduce air bubbles for subsequent castings, though. Now I just need to sculpt the pipes!

Finally pulled my first mask today! It's Vytaflex 40 urethane rubber, and I tried to color it like the display mask. It has a few air bubbles, and there's a part or two I need to fix on the mold, but overall I'm pretty happy with it. I'll have to figure out how to reduce air bubbles for subsequent castings, though. Now I just need to sculpt the pipes!

Mj, spectacular job! you could take pictures of the back and sides? so we see it in its entirety!
So you are planning to sell a few copies?

Finally pulled my first mask today! It's Vytaflex 40 urethane rubber, and I tried to color it like the display mask. It has a few air bubbles, and there's a part or two I need to fix on the mold, but overall I'm pretty happy with it. I'll have to figure out how to reduce air bubbles for subsequent castings, though. Now I just need to sculpt the pipes!

Mj, spectacular job! you could take pictures of the back and sides? so we see it in its entirety!
So you are planning to sell a few copies?

Here are pics from the side and back. You can see the seam on the side :/ so I need to figure out how to remove that. Maybe a dremel? If anyone has any experience with that sort of thing, I'd definitely appreciate advice! The back is a little jagged - not a problem with the mask itself - I just need to work on my skills with an exacto knife. Hopefully I'll get better with practice. And yeah, I'm planning on selling a few.

Figured I'd post what I just noticed about Bane's coat. The last few times I've watched the movie, I've mainly been looking at Bane's coat and how it fits, it's weight, collar, color and length and it's flow. One of the details I've noticed is that the buttons on the collar aren't present in a lot of scenes. Like when he is giving his speech on the tumbler, they aren't there but in the football scene just prior they are.

Another thing is, it seems like the coat is very lightweight, which is one thing I think the BanePants coat is lacking. It honestly looks too heavy and not thin enough. And I think the one Banewagon has nails that perfectly (along with the color). But I'm only judging from the pictures I've seen of the coat. Anyone with the BanePants coat have any opinion on how the weight is? That honestly is what's holding me back on commiting to it. The color could be altered fairly easily and the collar I think mimmicks the real one perfect. Same with the length. But the weight would obviously be next to impossible to alter.